Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 121 Self-destruction
"Isn't it a bit too late for Lord Liang to ask now? Regardless of who sent us, do you think you can escape today?"

Jiu Que took a close look at Liang Heng's flustered expression, then spoke expressionlessly.

"Now you need Lord Liang's cooperation, but don't even think about running away. Before you run, you should take a look at Lord Huang. He's cooperating so well because I have a way that you can't escape."

Seeing Liang Heng's ashen face and even a faint darkness in his eyes, Jiu Que stopped attacking him.

"Where did Lord Liang hide the account books and evidence? In your study or your bedroom?"

"I do not know what you're talking about."

Liang Heng seemed to have come to his senses, immediately closing his eyes and refusing to look at Jiu Que. Although he didn't know who had sent the two women, he was very clear about one thing. If he didn't speak up, he might still have a chance to survive today; but if he did speak up, and the person behind him found out about his near-surrender, his ancestors for eight generations would be doomed.

Seeing his lack of cooperation, Jiu Que simply looked at Cui Zhu Feng.

Cui Zhufeng had been getting sleepy, but when Jiu Que gestured, he immediately stepped forward and lightly touched Liang Heng's body with his fingers. It was unclear which acupoint she pressed, but the next moment, Liang Heng felt intense pain wash over him.

He prided himself on being able to endure pain, but at this moment he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan of agony. How could it hurt so much? The pain was unbearable. Before this, Liang Heng had actually imagined what would happen if he were discovered, and of course, he might be subjected to torture. But in his imagination, torture was nothing more than a few lashes and beatings. How could it be like this, where he had no wounds on his body, yet the pain was so intense that he almost wanted to bang his head against the ground?

Seeing the other person's pained appearance, Jiu Que felt no pity. Whenever she saw Liang Heng, she couldn't help but think of the innocent people buried in those eight mines. Some of them just wanted to find a job to support their families, while others were just innocent passersby who were captured and forced to dig that damned cinnabar mine. All of this was for the selfish desires of Liang Heng and the people behind him.

He is suffering far less than a tenth of what those people are going through. How can he possibly have the nerve to cry out in pain here?

"Lord Liang, you feel pain? But do you know what happens to those who are exhausted in the mines? No one will see them, they aren't even entitled to medicine. Anyone who is found to be too weak to continue working will be turned into a living corpse. Yes, the kind of living corpses you use for drug testing! They are forced to drink large amounts of rejuvenating pills, until the effects destroy their entire bodies, leaving them mentally deranged and unable to feel pain. They can't even recognize their own relatives. Do you think that kind of life is laughable?"

"But they are all caused by you. I am actually very curious. Before I came here, I heard that Lord Liang was also born into a poor family. He went through many trials and tribulations to finally enter officialdom and gradually rose to the position of prefect. He should have used his talents to benefit the people. Why would he work for such people?"

"When you were enjoying your luxurious life with all that gold and silver, did you ever think about how innocent those who were arrested were? Is this how you, as the local official, acted? Where do you place the laws of the court and the lives of the people?"

"what!"

Liang Heng, who was enduring the pain, suddenly sneered, interrupting Jiu Que's words. "What does someone like you know? Do you know how I got into officialdom? I knelt at those people's feet, bowing and scraping like a dog, barely managing to get a recommendation. But those from powerful families, even if they're complete idiots, can still enter the court as officials. I've studied diligently since childhood, never slacking off for a single day, yet in the end, I can't even touch the heels of those powerful families. How could I possibly be content with that? Since I'm studying, how can I not become an official? And since I'm becoming an official, how can I not become the highest-ranking official?! You think reaching the position of prefect is enough? Let me tell you, it's far from enough!"

"I'm just a mere prefect, and in a poor place like Qianzhou at that. Being in such a place, far from the emperor's reach, he probably doesn't even know my name! I have no one to back me up; when will I ever get a chance to rise? I'm just trying to find a patron; what's wrong with that? Which official in the court has my talent? I've only been in Qianzhou for two years, and I've already increased tax revenue by 20%! Could those incompetent officials in the court have done that? And what have I gotten in return for all this hard work? Decades of being sidelined. The emperor says he values ​​me? If he values ​​me, would he let me stay in this godforsaken place for so many years? I thought the current emperor's ascension to the throne would pave a smooth path for my career, but who would have thought he doesn't care about me at all!"

"I've done everything I could, even groveling like a dog at the feet of those powerful families to climb the ranks! But I can't climb any higher. A mere third-rank official has become the pinnacle of my career. How can I accept this? If I don't achieve some merit in supporting the emperor, how can I return to the capital?! Only there is a place where I can truly utilize my talents!"

Liang Heng was extremely agitated, panting heavily, and even the pain he had felt earlier seemed to have been forgotten for a moment.

He seemed lost in his own words, his expression contorted with rage. Recalling the pain of being misunderstood and unappreciated in the first half of his life, even the excruciating physical pain seemed to fade from his memory.

Jiu Que listened quietly and then asked a question in return.

"So, you do have someone backing you. And it's a prince."

Liang Heng's ferocious expression froze, and he looked somewhat incredulous.

"You actually tried to trick me into telling me something?"

“You know yourself that I didn’t say anything at all; it was all you talking about. That’s called admitting guilt without being asked.”

In truth, Jiu Que knew that someone like Liang Heng must have been harboring resentment for many years. He was easily provoked and lost control, just like now, pouring out so much like beans spilling out.

However, Jiu Que felt that Emperor Jingtai was truly wronged.

When Liang Heng entered officialdom, Emperor Jingtai was still fighting a war in some remote corner of the country. He had only been on the throne for thirteen years, and officials from powerful families still held the majority of power. It was assumed that Liang Heng, coming from a poor background, wouldn't associate with those corrupt officials, so Emperor Jingtai confidently sent him to Qianzhou to gain experience. Once Emperor Jingtai had some free time and dealt with those officials, how could he not transfer him to the capital?
Emperor Jingtai would inspect the situation of each of the thirty-six prefectures and counties in the empire.

"You may not believe it, but before we came here, His Majesty remarked that Liang Heng, the prefect of Qianzhou, was a talented person in managing people's livelihoods."

(End of this chapter)